Street Racing....

Well, here we go again...Last year, it was some numbnut driving a Ferrari out in West Chicago. Who killed an innocent BABY and Mother, along with his own dumb ass, while he was speeding recklessly...maybe even racing....

Now, I just saw on the TV news that 2 young brothers from Mundelein were Drag Racing up in Unincorporated Libertyville with their Suburu Sportscars. (Probably those little WRX's. One was Black, the other was Blue.) One brother, who was just a 17 year old KID, lost control, hit a Honda and a Jeep Cherokee. Luckily those people were not Killed, they were injured, but he was ... He was just a Kid...only 17 years old...Life over. Apparently with not enough Common Sense, Life experience or Drivers Training and Experience to know that Street Racing is STUPID! It's no wonder why I am so down on idiots that Street Race! Not only can they kill themselves, for no reason other than to TRY to "be Cool", (Which, they definitely are not) in their own mind...But...they always take out innocent people in the process! This has got to stop! What a totally unneccesary waste! And all for what? Now, that kids parents just lost one of their children over something so stupid and unneccesary....And, the other people that got hit in the process could have very easily have been killed, too. Why?

I wish that Jesse White would make it MANDATORY....FIRST Offense...NO Plea bargains...to take away the Drivers License, AND the Car, of anyone caught Street Racing. That might stop it if some kid knew that they'd lose their precious Drivers License....which, is a Privelege, BTW, NOT a Right. And, their car that they spent so much time and money into fixing up.

And, maybe get their parents involved and fined, too.

 

Great responses, folks! (LOL! I think it's apparent who is a teenegar, and who isn't.... )

Well, the first thing that I'd like to see happen is to get these kids real "Driver TRAINING"....NOT....just learning how to pass a test after being taken for a few rides around the neighborhood by the school gym teacher!

My own personal case: I was lucky. I was allowed to start driving when I was 14....BUT....only at places like Cemetaries, Industrial Parks, places where there weren't any other people around. Then, when I got my Drivers Permit at 15. I bought my first car., (a 1966 Pontiac GTO. 335 H.P. Stock!) I could drive with my family, or my best bud who was a year older and had his Drivers License already.

Then when it came time for me to have the "behind the wheel" part of Drivers Ed. I had a 06:00AM starting time, with another kid who had Never been behind the wheel of a car before. My instructor was one of the School Deans at York High School in Elmhurst, 'Dean' Fisher, where I went. Anyway, first day out, this guy said "I see that you've been driving already and have some experience". I told him that I had basically been driving, for almost 2 years already. Well, he would always let me go first. After the second day, this guy would actually fall asleep while I was driving! I guess he had confidence in my driving ability.... Then, at 06:30AM, I'd pull over and wake him up, saying: "O.K., it's 6:30. It's his turn" referring to the other kid in the back seat. And, believe me. When this kid drove, we were Wide Awake!.. (BTW... I passed with a 99!.... He took one point off for me putting my turn signal on a little too soon as we were headed back to school. I didn't care! I Passed! But, maybe I should have mentioned that he always fell asleep while I was driving, and he would have made it 100.... ) No, I'm not saying that I am "Joe Pro" Driver here. I only wanted to use that as an example showing the difference between somebody that has gotten alot of training and experience before getting their Drivers License, as opposed to somebody that does not. And, it really does make a big difference.

Anyway. I think that they need to include more Driver 'Training'. Especially, for the kids that didn't get the chance to get alot of practice beforehand like I did. (I have also taken a Drivers course in my 20's.) And make the Insurance Companies become involved. If a kid completes a Driver TRAINING Course of some kind. Give him a lower rate. If not, a much higher rate.

Actually, if you think about it. The Insurance Industry has probably more power over this than the Government does. They COULD say that they will not insure anybody under, say, 20. Unless they've completed a Driver TRAINING Course. But, ofcourse, you'd never be able to get them all to go along with it. Too bad. This would benefit the young Driver the most. Probably save their Life! Not to mention their parents, who would be put less at a chance of getting that phone call some night..... And even more importantly, the general public who so often become innocent victims of inexperienced, and irresponsible drivers. The numbers don't lie. Every Insurance Company. The Government studies....They all say that the highest rate of Motor Vehicle Accidents and Vehicle Deaths are among Male Drivers from age 16-24. That's fact, not fiction! And, it surely isn't caused by "Safe Driving". It's solely caused by Goofing off. Showing off. Recklessness. Carelessness. Immaturity. And, IMO, there's no room on our public roads for that kind of behavior...in a powerful, heavy, piece of steel machinery....Especially, when innocent people can get hurt or killed by it. I mean, am I wrong here? Yeah, try to tell me that I am wrong here.

And hey, another benefit would be that Insurance Rates would go way down for everybody. Because, when the Insurance companies have to pay out Millions and Millions and Millions of Dollars in Car Repairs. Death benefits. Lawsuits. Legal Fees. Etc... WE 'ALL' END UP PAYING FOR IT!!!!! Even if we have a clean driving record!

No, I'm not saying that young kids shouldn't be allowed to drive. Not by all means! IMHO, the sooner they start driving, the sooner that they can start accruing experience. But....I think that they really need to get REAL Driver TRAINING. Not just learn how to pass the drivers test!

"Runningoftherings"....How old are YOU, Man? You actually think that some 16 year old kid should get a "Pass" if getting caught Drag Racing? Come on, Man! Are you nuts?! That is when they should LEAST be given one! At that age, and when they have just been driving for less than a year or two, they should be CONCENTRATING on DRIVER SAFETY...NOTHING ELSE!!!...NOT on seeing how fast Moms Mini Van will go! (Or if they can beat the old guy in the Ferrari with their Ricer.... ) That is just plain Stupid, Man! Sure, they do need time to "Grow Up". But, not on my time, not on my roads! (and I mean that for everybody, individually.) But, when it involves OTHER People on PUBLIC Roads. No, I just can't agree with that. There is No room for Error....No place for them to "stretch their little wings and see what they can do". No. Not when OTHER Peoples lives....LIVES....may be at Risk!

And, absolutely! Take away the Licenses of Drunk Drivers, too! I agree with you about that. They don't belong driving a 3000+ pound potential death machine either! And habitual offenders who constantly get speeding tickets, etc.... Road Ragers. Etc... these types of people have no business, or right, really, to be "allowed" to drive.

I think that the Government in general, (and believe me....it really hurts me to say that, as, I don't like Bigger Government as it is already at all! But if people won't take the initiative on their own, then somebody-the powers that be- has to do it.) The Governments, from your local little Towns, all the way up, need to start taking dangerous traffic infractions more seriously. They need to make the fines so big, that they really do impose a burden on the driver. No more "Slap on the Wrist" fines. And, you know as well as I do. That if some Government official, or somebody in his family got hurt. He'd rush some kind of Law or Bill into Legislation immediaitely! So why not for everyone else? Make "Plea bargaining" gone....a thing of the past. Some schmuck in a Beemer, simply because he can afford a good Lawyer to "get him off", shouldn't get any preferential treatment over a 16 year old kid in a '87 Corolla. You break the law, you pay for it. Simple as that! Hey, maybe if the Governments starting getting alot of money from Fines. They could drop taxes a little bit. Let the law Breakers pay! Not always the law abiding citizen!

Driving, IMHO, needs to be treated more seriously. Like the Privelege that it is. Right now, the Government doesn't care....All that they care about is the Taxes and Fees that they get from each and every driver. Each and every Car. License Fees. License Title and Plate fees. City Stickers. Parking Meters and garage taxes. Taxes on Cars, car repairs, Parts, Tires, Tolls, Gas, anything and everything that has to do with cars and driving, ETC....That's some Big Money! So, do you actually think that the Government cares if YOU or one of YOUR LOVED ONES dies in an auto accident? Hell no! The Insurance companies pay out, and that money gets taxed, somehow, someway. Somebody gets a big Insurance settlement. And, the money from that gets taxed. They go out and buy a new car. And that gets taxed...Every penny that they spend or invest gets taxed. It doesn't matter!

I mean, the roads are already way too crowded as it is. What a nice difference it would make if we were to take some of the unneeded traffic off of the roads. Less Pollution. Less gas used. More Parking. Safer Roads for everybody, too. And, to me, those are all good things.....

Hey, just my opinons!!!! But, I am certainly not going to apologize for taking something like this so seriously. Every Day, year after year, way too many people get Killed Needlessly! And it's especially painful when it is an innocent victim-especially a baby or a child-that gets their life snuffed just because of some Careless IDIOT!

 

Thanks for that, Jack. I appreciate it! Yeah, I bet you see alot more of it going on on the City, with the streets being narrower and more traffic.

And, just yesterday afternoon. We have a 17 year old kid, out in Hanover Park, driving in a 40MPH zone. Witnesses didn't say he was speeding, but he was weaving really bad in Traffic....(Screwing around with the Stereo, if you ask me...) Anyway, this kid drives off the street, over a long grass parkway, and hits and kills a 64 year old Grandma who was pushing her baby Grand Daughter in a stroller. Luckily, the Baby was O.K.., but the Grandma died. Again...For what? Because some stupid kid was not paying attention to his DRIVING....

What's it gonna take?

And, I'll tell you. You will start noticing stuff like this more and more now that you are a Dad. I know that I certainly did.

I'm probably a little more 'over the top' than most people are about this....Probably because I was hit and nearly killed in 3 different Motor Vehicle Incidents, (I don't call them Accidents. They weren't. they all could have easily been avoided had the other driver been paying attention to what they were doing.) by somebody who was negligent while Driving...not paying attention to the business at hand....like Operating a Motor vehicle in Traffic on a Public Road!.....

But, it is especially painful when you see innocent people, and especially babies, get killed needlessly by negligent drivers. They don't even get a chance at life.